We usually meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. Please note that due to the holidays, in November and December there will be no fourth-Tuesday meeting.
Our topic for Tuesday, November 9, 2021 is how to shed shame. As white people, we have often been taught that racism is all about feelings: how we feel about others, how we feel about ourselves. When we learn more about the racism embedded deep in our society, one of the feelings that can overwhelm us is shame, which is irrelevant and destructive. It is irrelevant if it concerns actions we didn’t take personally (the actions of our ancestors or people who share whiteness), and it is destructive applied to ourselves, because it creates a vortex of defeatism, blame and disconnection.
It is no exaggeration to say that white people’s sense of shame has prevented us from ending white supremacy for hundreds of years–which then adds to our burden of shame. It’s time to end the shame cycle! We’ll practice together, learning techniques that use our shame response as a cue to turn towards positive words and actions.